Sage to add women's and men's outdoor track & field in 2014

Feb 12, 2013

Albany, NY---The Sage Colleges' department of athletics plans to expand in the coming academic year as Director of Athletics, Dani Drews has announced the addition of women’s and men's outdoor track and field in the 2013-2014 academic year as the newest varsity program.

Drews said, "We are grateful to President Scrimshaw and Vice President Trish Cellemme for the opportunity to add outdoor track and field at Sage." Drews continued, "Those teams are a natural extensions of our new and quite accomplished cross country programs. Under the guidance of Jim Bowles as head coach, I have no doubt about the future success of our track and field student-athletes and the positive impact they will make on Sage."

With the addition of the track and field programs that will begin competition in the Spring of 2014, Sage will be sponsoring 15 varsity athletic programs, eight for women and seven for men. The teams will compete as an NCAA Division III program and a member of the Skyline Conference. Sage’s women's and men’s cross country coach, Bowles will expand his role as the full-time coach for the cross country and outdoor track and field programs at Sage.

Bowles noted, “The Sage Colleges has shown its commitment to the student body by continuing to add sports.” Bowles added, “This will allow us to tap the great resources of the local schools, while providing another opportunity for the current student body. Sage’s President and Administration sees the combination of academics and athletics as a long-term plan that will continue to allow Sage to grow and compete for students that previously had chosen other institutions of learning."

Bowles is in his third season as the first coach of the men’s cross country program at Sage after spending over 20 years as a collegiate head coach. In his first season at the helm of the Gator men’s program, Bowles guided the young team to several impressive team showings and set the bar high for academic achievement, posting a combined 3.4 grade-point-average. Sage was just one of 125 collegiate programs honored by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) as a 2010 NCAA Division III Men’s Scholar Team for their outstanding achievements on the course and in the classroom. In addition, four Gator harriers were cited for academic efforts, earning spots on the 2010 Skyline Conference Fall Scholar-Athlete Team. The Gators produced a third place finish at the 2012 Skyline Conference Championships, while also garnering three Skyline Conference All-Stars, while the first-year women's team finished in third place at the league championships.

Student-athletes interested in learning more about Sage women’s and men’s outdoor track and field programs can contact coach Bowles at bowlej@sage.edu or at (518) 292-1821.